1. Field of the Invention
This invention is in the field of devices for conveying a variety of material in an air stream and then separating the material from the stream.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In my U.S. Pat. No. 5,480,465, I disclose a device for separating material carried by an air stream. The air and material flow through a conduit with a portion of the air being extracted from the conduit in a sideways direction prior to the material exiting the conduit into a receptacle. Depending upon the type of material to be conveyed and the size of the conduit, it is possible in many cases for the foreign material to adhere to the inside surface of the conduit particularly at the location where a portion of the air is being extracted. I disclose in my patent a screen or filter for minimizing the material from building up or sticking to the inside surface of the separator. Disclosed herein is another technique wherein the conduit has a reduced internal cross sectional area immediately after the location where at least a portion of the air from the stream is extracted. Thus, the kinetic energy of the material is sufficient to ensure the flow of the material from the conduit into the receptacle.
Additional devices have been devised for separating particles from a variety of liquids and gases. For example see U.S. Pat. No. 2,540,695 issued to Smith et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,725,271 issued to Giannotti. U.S. Pat. No. 4,764,191 issued to Morelli. and U.S. Pat. No. 4,874,409 issued to Vitovec et al.